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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: chest · pound · capital · object · leaves · coach · pitcher · rush

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chest — of your body
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — to protest
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a city
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. object — an aim
  18. capital — money
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitcher — a jug

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