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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: rest · rush · band · branch · ground · ball · capital · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. band — a music group
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — hurry
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. band — a ring
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rest — a break
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — crushed
  21. capital — money
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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