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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a city
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tube — a container
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — obliged

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