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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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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: dip · object · capital · bank · game · tube · roll · leaves

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. object — a thing
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bank — of a river
  18. tube — a container
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — for money
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. dip — to sink
  24. roll — a list

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