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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: lean · straw · drill · capital · object · branch · racket · hand

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — army training
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — to protest
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — a division
  24. drill — a practice

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