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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: chest · pass · branch · dip · capital · content · foot · cell

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. foot — a measure
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — to sink
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chest — a box
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. content — happy
  24. capital — a city

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