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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: tear · stick · fan · bear · court · firm · capital · can

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. court — of a king
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — a company
  14. tear — to rip
  15. capital — a city
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — decided
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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