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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 120 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: stand · row · capital · saw · field · game · branch · sharp

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. field — farmland
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. field — for sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — wild animals
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. capital — money
  16. stand — to bear
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. field — a subject
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. game — a kind of play

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