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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 · charge · last · foot · bank · swing · file · bark

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. last — finally
  3. charge — in control
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — music
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bank — for money
  15. swing — to play on
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — to go on
  21. charge — electricity
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — final

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