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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: branch · capital · kick · fall · game · field · nail · stock

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. branch — a division
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — the season
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — for sport
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — farmland
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  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