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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: swing · capital · craft · game · pound · track · branch · saw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a song
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. game — a match
  10. capital — a city
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — a path
  17. swing — in golf
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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