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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: board · straw · degree · capital · cabinet · bank · branch · game

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. board — to get on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bank — of a river
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. branch — a division
  23. capital — money
  24. game — a match

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