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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: lie · row · present · scale · rush · hand · capital · branch

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. scale — in music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. branch — a division
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. capital — money
  15. present — the time now
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. present — there
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — a city
  24. branch — of a tree

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