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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: key · capital · net · bank · plane · branch · content · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — a division
  3. capital — money
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bank — of a river
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. content — happy
  12. key — in music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — a tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — the amount
  19. net — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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