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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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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: cap · prune · fall · sharp · bowl · kid · net · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kid — child
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — for catching
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. branch — a division
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — a hat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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