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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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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: vault · fine · cue · content · tear · capital · spell · bank

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — the amount
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — magic
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cue — a hint
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cue — for pool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fine — all right
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bank — for money
  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