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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. squash — the sport
  3. object — an aim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — a city
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — a box
  16. bank — of a river
  17. branch — a division
  18. capital — money
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — to protest
  22. ground — the earth
  23. object — a thing
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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