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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.

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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: spring · toast · chest · bear · bank · pit · pitcher · capital

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bank — of a river
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — money
  16. bank — for money
  17. toast — bread
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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