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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: wound · foot · chest · capital · track · pitcher · bank · mouse

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. foot — a measure
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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