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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: tear · leaves · fine · season · current · saw · land · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. current — electric
  14. fine — high quality
  15. land — a country
  16. current — happening now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — to rip

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