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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 124 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: fine · firm · bank · cell · wind · capital · bay · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. firm — steady
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. firm — decided
  11. capital — a city
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. firm — a company
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — for money
  24. fine — a penalty

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