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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: branch · pass · cap · nail · march · mate · prune · chip

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a hat
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. branch — a division
  20. pass — a permit
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mate — to breed

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