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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · branch · bulb · capital · bay · face · ground · present

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — there
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to confront
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — money
  15. present — the time now
  16. drill — army training
  17. ground — a position
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. face — part of the head
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. drill — 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