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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: leaves · scale · capital · bay · wake · wind · spring · fan

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. capital — a city
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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