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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: capital · board · spell · court · branch · lie · lean · shower

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. lean — thin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — a division
  8. lie — to recline
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. capital — a city
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — of law
  21. capital — money
  22. spell — a short time
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lean — to bend

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