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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stock — goods
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. last — finally
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. last — final
  13. mine — for digging
  14. craft — boats
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. capital — money
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — an explosive

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