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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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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: cap · bank · chest · capital · tear · rest · charge · fall

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rest — a break
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. cap — a lid
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. charge — in control
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — the season
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. charge — a price
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. chest — a box
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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