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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: object · band · jam · land · kid · capital · leaves · cabinet

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. object — to protest
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — child
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — a city
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — to tease
  17. capital — money
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. object — a thing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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