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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 120 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: capital · stick · staff · chair · fine · object · wind · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. capital — money
  13. fine — all right
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. chair — a leader
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. capital — a city
  23. staff — a stick
  24. object — a thing

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