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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — to shout
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pit — in a race
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. can — a tin
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — of water
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — a division

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