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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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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 · kick · cap · bay · leaves · season · snap · capital

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cap — of ice
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. capital — a city
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — in football
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. season — in sport

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