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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: ball · capital · root · leaves · branch · hide · net · band

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — the cause
  7. capital — money
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a music group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — a city
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — in sport

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