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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: plane · branch · can · capital · clip · board · saw · sharp

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. clip — to cut
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. plane — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. branch — a division
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. board — a committee

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