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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: capital · branch · straw · season · bowl · sharp · deal · stock

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. capital — a city
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stock — goods
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. straw — a straw man

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