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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 · wave · bound · can · staff · field · file · foot

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. can — to be able to
  3. staff — employees
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — a subject
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a document
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — a tin
  22. foot — a measure
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a tool

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