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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bear · current · can · present · wind · mate · ground

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — electric
  3. mate — a partner
  4. capital — money
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. present — a gift
  9. current — happening now
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — there
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. capital — a city
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — to breed
  23. present — the time now
  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