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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: court · fall · safe · capital · leaves · bank · arm · land

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — money
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bank — for money
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of law
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fall — to drop
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — for sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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