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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: fork · deal · net · scale · band · cabinet · mine · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — to handle
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. capital — a city
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a music group
  21. scale — size or range
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. capital — money
  24. mine — belonging to me

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