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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. current — of water
  11. last — final
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — army training
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — a city
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. spring — a coil
  24. capital — money

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