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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: capital · wound · rock · branch · fine · scale · wave · row

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — a division
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — a line
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. scale — size or range

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