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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: pitcher · spell · wave · cap · prune · spring · field · branch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — farmland
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — of water

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