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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 116 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: club · squash · wind · staff · cabinet · mug · tear · capital

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — a group
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — money
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. staff — employees
  14. squash — to crush
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — a face
  24. wind — moving air

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