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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: fall · pass · capital · row · wound · last · wake · rash

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — a trail
  3. last — final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a city
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. capital — money
  16. row — to paddle
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pass — a permit

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