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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: fan · wave · key · capital · spell · roll · bank · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spell — magic
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — a city
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — money

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