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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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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: stand · stick · band · branch · prune · land · rule · capital

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — a city
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. rule — a law
  11. band — a music group
  12. rule — government
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. capital — money
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — a division
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — to come down
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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