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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: present · capital · lie · fan · cabinet · date · band · chest

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — a gift
  8. capital — money
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. present — there
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — the time now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chest — a box

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