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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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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: content · capital · rash · cell · wind · current · bear · plane

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. content — happy
  9. current — electric
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. content — the amount
  14. cell — a phone
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. plane — a tool
  22. current — of water
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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