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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: band · rest · wake · mine · mug · capital · mate · swing

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. capital — money
  5. rest — a break
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — to rob
  16. capital — a city
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mug — a face
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rest — what's left

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