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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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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: row · stand · snap · rock · present · capital · wind · ground

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rock — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. present — there
  10. row — a line
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. row — to paddle
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — a gift
  21. capital — money
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wind — moving air

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