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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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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: branch · nail · wave · kid · capital · pound · bank · lie

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. capital — a city
  4. branch — a division
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. capital — money
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bank — of a river
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bank — for money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — an untruth

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