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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 116 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: pitcher · capital · staff · rash · bear · fan · lean · wake

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — money
  11. lean — thin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — a stick

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