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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: spring · capital · staff · band · hide · bat · rush · can

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — employees
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — of water
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — the season
  12. bat — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — to be able to
  17. band — a music group
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. capital — money
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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