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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 120 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: capital · cabinet · wave · wind · swing · pop

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — to visit
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pop — music

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