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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a document
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. snap — to click
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — to protest
  22. capital — a city
  23. object — an aim
  24. club — a group

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