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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 120 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: bank · capital · fork · pitcher · cabinet · mine · cell · season

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bank — for money
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. capital — money
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a city
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cell — in biology

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