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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: mate · track · branch · pop · ball · deal · capital · patient

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. capital — money
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — a city
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — a division
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. track — a song
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pop — to visit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a path
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ball — a great time
  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