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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 120 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: staff · bank · content · capital · chest · deal · mouse · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — a division
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. chest — of your body

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