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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · mine · lash · ball · march · capital · branch · root

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. root — of a plant
  4. firm — decided
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. firm — steady
  7. capital — money
  8. root — of a word
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. branch — a division
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a great time
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. firm — a company

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