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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · spring · mug · staff · capital · scale · court · stick

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — a cup
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. scale — size or range
  22. court — of a king
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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