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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: capital · bank · present · cabinet · wound · stick · wind · lean

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. present — a gift
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — money
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. present — the time now
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bank — of a river
  22. present — there
  23. lean — thin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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