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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: fork · bank · rock · club · capital · staff

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — for golf
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fork — in a road
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bank — for money
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — a group

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