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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. capital — a city
  4. rock — music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — to cut
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — for catching
  15. bank — for money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. plane — a tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — for paper
  24. plane — an aircraft

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