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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 116 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: capital · racket · pass · branch · band · kid · straw · mouse

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — a permit
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a music group
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — the animal

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