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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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Word bank
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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: wake · plane · bound · capital · file · current

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — a trail
  5. capital — money
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. current — of water
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people

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