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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · arm · capital · degree · net · key · craft · lash

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. capital — money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — in music
  15. craft — boats
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — after costs
  18. degree — from a university
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. net — for catching

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