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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · capital · bowl · kid · track · jam · hand · branch

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. object — an aim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. object — to protest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — in cards
  18. track — a path
  19. object — a thing
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. hand — help
  24. capital — money

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