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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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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: race · deal · branch · capital · arm · swing · can · bass

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — money
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. can — a tin
  5. deal — to handle
  6. swing — to play on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. can — to be able to
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. branch — a division
  17. bass — low music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — humankind
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. capital — a city
  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