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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 116 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: pound · capital · branch · ball · present · mouse · lash · dip

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. present — a gift
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ball — a dance
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. branch — a division

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