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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. land — to come down
  3. bank — of a river
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. land — a country
  11. lie — to recline
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — for money
  18. capital — a city
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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