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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 120 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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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: season · fork · wind · rest · cap · capital · bank · mouse

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — of ice
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a city
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — for money
  19. fork — in a road
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — a break

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