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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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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: hand · lie · rush · capital · field · object · branch · ground

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a city
  9. object — a thing
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — a division
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — a position
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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