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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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468
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: craft · file · bank · capital · foot · object · spell · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — money
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — magic
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. craft — a skill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bank — for money
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — letters
  15. object — an aim
  16. craft — boats
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bank — of a river
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bank — for money
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. fall — the season

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