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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — in sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — money
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — a division
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rock — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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