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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: roll · bowl · chest · jam · bay · spring · wake · capital

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. roll — a list
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. capital — money
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — the season
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. spring — of water
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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