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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.

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: content · pop · object · spring · capital · fine · trunk · staff

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pop — to visit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — an aim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pop — soda
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — the amount
  12. fine — high quality
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pop — music
  15. fine — all right
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spring — a coil
  20. object — to protest
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — the season
  23. capital — money
  24. object — a thing

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