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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 120 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: mate · prune · branch · fall · court · lean · capital · cabinet

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. court — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of law
  23. capital — a city
  24. fall — to drop

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