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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. season — in sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lean — to bend
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. swing — music
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — for money
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. swing — to play on
  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