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

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. object — an aim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. spring — the season
  11. capital — money
  12. object — a thing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tear — to rip
  16. can — a tin
  17. object — to protest
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — to be able to
  20. club — for dancing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — the season
  24. spring — of water

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