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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · capital · wind · cold · bank · can · shower · rush

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — a city
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bank — for money
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — hurry
  15. suit — in cards
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — of a river
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. suit — clothes
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. capital — money

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