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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: leaves · dip · row · capital · bear · wound · ruler · branch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — a division
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. dip — to sink
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wound — an injury

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