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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.

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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: nail · capital · land · club · board · arm · file · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. capital — money
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. board — a committee
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. land — a country
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. file — a line of people
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. board — to get on

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