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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: branch · jam · straw · capital · pass · net · cold · can

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. net — for catching
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — a city
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — a permit
  16. capital — money
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — not warm

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