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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: leaves · cap · capital · ruler · club · wound · tear · cabinet

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a city
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for dancing
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. club — for golf
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. capital — money
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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