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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: mark · pop · capital · bulb · branch · board · temple · clip

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — a video
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pop — soda
  18. capital — money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — a city
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — to get on

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