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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 116 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: bank · capital · leaves · racket · wind · chip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. bank — for money
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — for money
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bank — of a river
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — money
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. leaves — of a tree
  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