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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. court — of a king
  3. suit — to fit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. suit — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — a song
  9. suit — clothes
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — happy
  12. capital — a city
  13. track — a path
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — a division
  17. charge — in control
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wax — to grow
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — of law

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