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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — music
  4. bank — for money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tube — a container
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pop — to visit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim

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