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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: object · lean · net · scale · fall · coach · date · capital

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. capital — a city
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — for catching
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fall — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — after costs
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — to protest
  24. scale — in music

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