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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: bowl · mouse · capital · rock · toast · branch · bay · prune

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — bread
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — to trim
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. capital — money
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. capital — a big letter

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