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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: field · craft · saw · face · fine · branch · mark · capital

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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 — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mark — a grade
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. craft — a skill
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fine — all right
  16. field — a subject
  17. saw — the tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mark — a trace
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to confront
  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