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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — for sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — there
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — a trail
  13. field — farmland
  14. capital — money
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — a city
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. can — a tin
  24. present — the time now

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