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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: pit · shower · cap · net · capital · rock · stick · bank

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — a city
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a hole
  15. net — in sport
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — a lid
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — money
  24. rock — music

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