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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ground — the earth
  6. swing — music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. shower — to wash
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — a position
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. shower — rain
  20. mug — a face
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wave — of the sea

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