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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 · bear · capital · nail · pitcher · branch · patient · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. swing — music
  4. rock — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — in golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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