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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: capital · staff · saw · land · mine · toast · leaves · rock

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. capital — a city
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. land — to come down
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rock — music
  14. land — a country
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. toast — bread
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rock — a stone
  24. land — ground

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