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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: wound · branch · shower · bore · pass · race · capital · pitcher

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to tire
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — money
  18. race — a contest
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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