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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
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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: rest · fine · spell · capital · racket · spring · wind · safe

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — all right
  7. capital — money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — a coil
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — a big letter

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