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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: capital · can · dip · bank · hand · pop · rash · toast

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pop — music
  4. capital — money
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bank — of a river
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. toast — bread
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. hand — help
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bank — for money
  19. can — to be able to
  20. capital — a city
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bank — for money
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — a series

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