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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · toast · fork · bear · wind · capital

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. capital — money
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — moving air

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