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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: plane · bowl · branch · kick · can · clip · capital · spell

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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 tree
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — money
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. branch — a division
  8. spell — letters
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spell — a short time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — magic
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. plane — a tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kick — with a leg

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