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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: cue · land · mark · wave · chest · capital · tube · calf

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. capital — a city
  4. tube — a container
  5. cue — a hint
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. chest — a box
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — to come down
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mark — a grade
  17. capital — money
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — for pool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — in a tire

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