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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: can · wave · date · content · hide · mine · land · capital

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. can — a tin
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — ground
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. capital — a city
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. land — a country
  24. capital — a big letter

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