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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — a city
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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