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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: object · track · straw · hand · wake · stick · capital · bay

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. hand — help
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — a path
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. object — to protest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — a thing

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