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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: field · board · branch · hide · capital · bulb · coach · current

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — a subject
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — electric
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — a division
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — for sport
  14. board — to get on
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — money
  20. board — a committee
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — happening now
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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