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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: dip · fine · bank · arm · capital · bowl · tear · mine

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — all right
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — money
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bank — of a river

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