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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: stick · rule · capital · wound · club · lean

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. rule — a law
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — government
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — a group
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. lean — thin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  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