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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — a trail
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. tube — the underground
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — a container
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — a tin

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