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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. club — a group
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. capital — money
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — music
  15. club — for golf
  16. root — the cause
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bank — of a river
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for dancing
  24. root — of a word

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