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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: track · rash · fall · bay · capital · current · cabinet · tear

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a path
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — money
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — a song
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a city
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cabinet — ministers

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