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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a ring
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a music group
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — a trail
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. capital — money
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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