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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 · mine · mark · bank · scale · drill · hand · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bank — for money
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — army training
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — help
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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