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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: stick · branch · spring · trunk · rash · bound · capital · fall

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — certain
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — money
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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