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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: cue · capital · pitch · craft · branch · snap · fan · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fall — the season
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cue — a signal
  9. snap — to click
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitch — completely
  14. craft — boats
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cue — a hint
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — a division
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. capital — a city

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