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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · drill · chip · branch · capital · can · cell · pitcher

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. drill — army training
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chip — for betting
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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