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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: branch · bowl · content · capital · ball · toast · chest · leaves

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. content — happy
  6. capital — a city
  7. content — the amount
  8. ball — a dance
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — bread
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chest — a box

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