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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — to bear
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bore — to drill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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