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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: tube · board · trunk · spring · rule · firm · wave · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rule — a law
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. rule — government
  7. capital — a city
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tube — a container
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. firm — decided
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. firm — a company
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — a committee
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — the season
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — a coil

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