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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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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: leaves · rash · racket · fork · rock · capital · band · pound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. capital — a city
  7. band — a music group
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — money
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rock — a stone
  24. racket — a loud noise

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