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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: roll · object · capital · branch · game · staff · drill · track

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. staff — a stick
  3. roll — a cake
  4. staff — employees
  5. roll — a list
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — a match
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — the tool
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. object — an aim
  19. branch — a division
  20. object — a thing
  21. capital — a city
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — army training

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