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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: bank · fall · land · rush · arm · capital · last · mark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bank — for money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — ground
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — to come down
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. last — finally
  17. capital — money
  18. last — final
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. last — to go on
  21. fall — the season
  22. land — a country
  23. bank — for money
  24. arm — part of the body

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