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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 · dip · cell · swing · fork · wake · fine

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. capital — a city
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. dip — to sink
  21. capital — money
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fine — all right
  24. cell — in a prison

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