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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: field · rest · straw · capital · pass · leaves · clip · object

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — farmland
  3. object — an aim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — a permit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. object — a thing
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — a subject
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — for paper
  18. field — for sport
  19. capital — money
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. clip — a video
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — to protest
  24. straw — a straw man

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