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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: cap · hide · branch · pitch · capital · net · drill · jam

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — a practice
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. branch — of a bank

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