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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: march · rest · capital · stick · rash · bank · squash · mark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a city
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rash — a series
  13. rest — a break
  14. bank — for money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — of a river
  17. march — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. squash — the sport
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — hasty
  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