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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: fan · wake · capital · current · rock · saw · bowl · straw

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rock — music
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. capital — money

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