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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
468
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: fan · fine · capital · wound · present · tear · date · swing

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. capital — money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. present — there
  11. fine — all right
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — a gift
  15. capital — a city
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — the time now
  18. date — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. tear — from crying

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