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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · capital · swing · wax · cap · squash · leaves

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — for digging
  4. swing — in golf
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cap — a lid
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cap — a hat
  15. branch — a division
  16. wax — to grow
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. squash — to crush
  23. swing — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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