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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 · bay · object · row · land · branch · pit · pass

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — to protest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — a hole
  14. capital — money
  15. land — to come down
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. row — a line
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pit — in a race
  21. branch — a division
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. bay — a horse colour

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