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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: squash · scale · capital · tube · fall · leaves · branch · suit

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fall — the season
  3. suit — in cards
  4. squash — to crush
  5. capital — a city
  6. tube — a container
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. squash — the sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. suit — to fit
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. branch — of a tree

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