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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a hat
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — of ice
  10. branch — a division
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. row — a line
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — to paddle
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pass — a permit
  18. tube — a container

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