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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: capital · branch · net · saw · present · dip · drill · board

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. net — after costs
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — the time now
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — for catching
  24. saw — the tool

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