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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: chip · leaves · capital · bear · coach · pop · lean · tube

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — thin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chip — for betting
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. capital — money
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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