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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: mate · branch · race · field · pit · club · can · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — humankind
  4. field — a subject
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — a contest
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pit — a hole
  17. can — to be able to
  18. club — a group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. race — the arms race
  21. field — for sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. branch — a division
  24. can — a tin

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