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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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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: deal · capital · bank · drill · plane · bass · branch · pitcher

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. drill — the tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — a practice
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — money
  17. branch — a division
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — to handle

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