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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: mark · capital · wave · land · chest · wake · last · toast

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. land — ground
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — of your body
  6. toast — bread
  7. last — final
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. last — finally
  12. capital — money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. land — a country
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — to come down
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. capital — a city

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