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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 116 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
468
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: capital · branch · cold · bank · dip · tube · trunk · prune

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cold — not warm
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. capital — money
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — a division
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tube — the underground
  22. capital — a city
  23. bank — of a river
  24. trunk — of a car

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