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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 · can · swing · pitch · hand · capital · saw · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitch — completely
  3. can — to be able to
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — a thing
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — help
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — money
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a bank

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