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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to tire
  12. capital — a city
  13. bore — to drill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — money
  19. shower — to wash
  20. suit — in cards
  21. shower — rain
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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