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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tear · bound · hide · wave · field · coach · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — farmland
  12. tear — to rip
  13. field — for sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — money
  24. field — a subject

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