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

Word bank: bowl · wind · leaves · net · capital · stick

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — for catching
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. capital — a city
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — in sport

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