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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: capital · saw · pitcher · content · rest · stick · band · lean

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. capital — money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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