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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: swing · sharp · branch · club · net · staff · craft · capital

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a skill
  4. staff — a stick
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — a group
  7. swing — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — after costs
  11. club — for dancing
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — boats
  14. sharp — clever
  15. club — for golf
  16. branch — a division
  17. capital — money
  18. net — for catching
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — in sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. sharp — with an edge

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