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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. branch — a division
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — to handle
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spring — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. content — the amount
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — money
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — happy
  24. bank — of a river

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