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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: racket · coach · prune · dip · bore · capital · tube · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — a division
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to sink
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bore — to drill
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — the fruit

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