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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: squash · prune · capital · mate · press · snap · branch · pass

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — to crush
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. capital — money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pass — a permit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to click
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — a city
  24. pass — to succeed

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