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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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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: stick · court · branch · capital · temple · swing · tear · staff

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — to play on
  9. court — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — to rip
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — a stick
  15. capital — a city
  16. court — of law
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. swing — in golf
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. swing — 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