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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: drill · fan · lean · capital · roll · bear · swing · mouse

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lean — thin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. capital — a city
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. swing — to play on
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. roll — a cake
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — to cool the air

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