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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: deal · leaves · land · capital · roll · band · foot · racket

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — ground
  4. roll — a cake
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. capital — a city
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a music group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — a country
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — money
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. deal — to handle
  23. land — to come down
  24. band — a ring

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