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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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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 · mine · ball · saw · firm · bowl · roll · branch

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. branch — a division
  3. firm — steady
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. capital — money
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. firm — decided
  14. ball — a dance
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. mine — for digging
  24. capital — a city

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