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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 · spell · tear · stick · pop · clip · drill · wave

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — a video
  7. capital — money
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — to cut
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. clip — for paper
  14. spell — magic
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — soda
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — a city
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spell — a short time

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