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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. perch — the fish
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spring — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. board — a committee
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — a coil

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