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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: capital · swing · club · cabinet · branch · cell · bulb · roll

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. swing — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. roll — a cake
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. club — for golf
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — for dancing
  24. capital — a city

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