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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. net — after costs
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — money
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fine — all right
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. capital — a city
  24. lash — to lash out

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