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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: fork · bat · foot · capital · branch · arm · face · bowl

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. foot — a measure
  3. branch — a division
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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