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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 116 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: club · branch · rash · field · pop · racket · stand · capital

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pop — to visit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — a subject
  6. rash — a series
  7. stand — to bear
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. field — farmland
  11. pop — soda
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. branch — a division
  22. field — for sport
  23. pop — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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