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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cap — a lid
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. file — a tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. branch — a division
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — a city
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — the fish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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