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

Word bank: mug · bear · tear · stick · last · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — a cup
  5. last — finally
  6. mug — a face
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — a big letter

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