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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: can · net · spell · capital · arm · rash · lean · bear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lean — thin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — magic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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