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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 · bark · capital · fan · arm · pitcher · board · saw

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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