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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: capital · spell · wound · pit · last · jam · spring · bank

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — a hole
  11. last — final
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — to go on
  17. capital — a city
  18. bank — of a river
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bank — for money
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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