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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · tear · season · capital · key · perch · wake · tube

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tube — the underground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — of the year
  10. tube — a container
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a city
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. key — in music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — a trail
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tear — to rip
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — money
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. roll — a list

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