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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: capital · cap · branch · hand · board · pit · tear · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pop — to visit
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — to get on
  12. pop — music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. capital — money
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — in cards
  24. branch — of a tree

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