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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · capital · clip · pitch · mug · board · chest · branch

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — a committee
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — of your body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — a face
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitch — completely
  13. root — of a plant
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — money
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — to get on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. root — of a word
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — a division
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. clip — to cut

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