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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · rock · branch · bowl · coach · scale · capital · club

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — for paper
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a city
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. club — for golf
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rock — a stone
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. rock — music

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