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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 120 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 · squash · rule · lean · board · last · wound · capital

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — a city
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — finally
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rule — a law
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rule — government
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. last — to go on
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. board — a committee
  24. capital — money

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