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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 116 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: capital · wound · fan · tube · ground · key · lie · bank

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lie — to recline
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. capital — a city
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — crushed
  23. key — in music
  24. bank — of a river

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