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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: capital · branch · content · can · swing · wave · roll · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — a list
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — happy
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. race — humankind
  11. branch — a division
  12. content — the amount
  13. capital — money
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. roll — a cake
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. swing — in golf

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