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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 116 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: bowl · band · straw · capital · branch · bay · key · file

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. capital — money
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. file — a line of people
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — the most important part
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. band — a music group
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. key — in music
  14. band — a ring
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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