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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: capital · spring · clip · rush · roll · leaves · toast · bank

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bank — for money
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — to cut
  13. roll — a list
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. toast — bread
  16. spring — of water
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — hurry
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bank — for money

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