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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: kick · toast · file · bank · capital · tear · mouse · track

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. capital — a city
  4. file — a document
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a path
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. track — a song
  10. toast — bread
  11. file — a tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bank — for money
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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