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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: game · board · tube · fork · mouse · capital · branch · ruler

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. board — a committee
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. board — to get on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tube — a container

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