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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. board — a committee
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — a trail
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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