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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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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: wave · deal · wind · date · capital · ruler

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — money
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wind — to turn a key

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