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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: bay · stick · capital · pop · file · snap · branch · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — money
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pop — music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — soda
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pop — to visit
  22. snap — to click
  23. file — a document
  24. bay — a horse colour

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