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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: mouse · deal · capital · branch · land · prune · jam · stock

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. capital — a city
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — to come down
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — money
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — to handle

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