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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. season — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. face — part of the head
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a committee
  10. face — to point toward
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — a city
  13. face — to confront
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — money
  21. board — to get on
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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