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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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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: capital · degree · branch · fine · row · club · court · cell

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — a city
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — a group
  9. capital — money
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a line
  12. fine — all right
  13. degree — an amount
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. branch — a division
  18. fine — high quality
  19. club — for dancing
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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