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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — the season
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — money
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — in sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a city
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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