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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — a phone
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — music
  13. march — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bank — for money
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bank — of a river

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