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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: capital · pop · mouse · mug · spring · leaves · wind · jam

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — a city
  13. mug — a cup
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mug — a face
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spring — the season

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