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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. suit — in cards
  6. capital — money
  7. season — in sport
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — of the year
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. bank — for money
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. capital — a city

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