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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 · chair · net · wake · scale · tube · season · stick

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — for catching
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. net — after costs
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. capital — a city
  24. wake — before a funeral

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