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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: game · capital · staff · fine · board · tear · rush · branch

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. capital — a city
  11. rush — hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — high quality
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. staff — employees

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