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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: fall · capital · snap · swing · board · club · toast · branch

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. capital — a city
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — music
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — to drop
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. board — to get on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. toast — bread
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to click
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fall — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — a division

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