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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: swing · bear · current · capital · cell · fall

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. capital — money
  3. swing — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — electric
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — the season

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