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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.

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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — to rob
  7. file — a line of people
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a face
  13. branch — a division
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fork — in a road
  21. capital — money
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fork — to eat with

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