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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: coach · clip · capital · leaves · content · spring · file · key

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a document
  3. capital — a city
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — of water
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spring — a coil
  9. capital — money
  10. key — the most important part
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — the season
  17. clip — a video
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. clip — to cut
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. clip — for paper
  23. content — happy
  24. coach — a trainer

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