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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: prune · object · staff · capital · net · foot · mark · branch

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a trace
  16. object — an aim
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — a division
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. prune — to trim
  24. object — a thing

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