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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: capital · coach · wave · fan · rush · tear · track · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. capital — money
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. track — a song
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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