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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · wind · capital · court · pop · mouse · band · coach

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — soda
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. capital — a city
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. capital — money
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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