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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.

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 · branch · craft · capital · staff · clip · mouse · deal

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. content — happy
  4. clip — to cut
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — boats
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. staff — employees

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