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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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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 · branch · pass · bound · cue · nail · fall · ball

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — money
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a dance
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a city
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. branch — a division
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ball — a round shape

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