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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: pound · staff · stick · tube · rule · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — a stick
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tube — a container
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — money
  18. tube — the underground

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