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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.

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: content · rush · lean · chest · racket · bear · branch · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — thin
  4. content — the amount
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chest — a box
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. capital — a city
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chest — of your body
  21. content — happy
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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