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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · race · branch · mug · prune · capital · rash · chair

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. race — a contest
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — money
  5. rash — hasty
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — a face
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — for a lock
  12. race — humankind
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. race — the arms race
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. branch — a division
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. capital — a city

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