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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: branch · prune · dip · fan · capital · stem · spring · jam

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stem — to come from
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fan — a supporter

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