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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: kick · saw · pass · pitcher · sharp · bank · capital · branch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — a division
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pass — a permit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. kick — in football
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — a thrill

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