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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
468
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: kid · field · branch · roll · season · cabinet · wave · capital

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — a subject
  5. branch — a division
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — child
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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