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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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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: bay · cell · bank · wave · track · pop · kick · capital

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pop — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — a path
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — a song

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