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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: club · branch · tube · bear · capital · scale · foot · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — money
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. field — farmland
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — for sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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