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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: lie · tube · club · straw · ground · branch · stick · capital

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tube — a container
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. capital — money

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