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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: land · capital · charge · bank · vault · shower · mine · fork

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. charge — a price
  9. land — ground
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — to wash
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. charge — in control
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. land — a country
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bank — of a river
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — rain

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