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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. firm — steady
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — money
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — a lid

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