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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: file · toast · mark · ground · wind · leaves · capital · bore

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — a position
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bore — to drill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. file — a document
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. capital — money
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — bread

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