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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · field · branch · staff · prune · shower · safe · bass

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bass — low music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — a division
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com