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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · bear · track · mouse · capital · leaves · fall · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — magic
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. track — a song
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — a path
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — army training
  24. bear — the animal

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