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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: cell · bank · racket · wind · club · capital · kid · spring

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — in biology
  5. capital — money
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bank — of a river
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spring — of water
  14. bank — for money
  15. spring — the season
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kid — child
  24. club — for golf

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