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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.

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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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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: cell · branch · capital · pound · fork · arm · nail · pass

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. capital — money
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pound — a weight
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fork — a garden tool

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