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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 116 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: wake · pitcher · capital · leaves · tube · swing · rush · sharp

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tube — the underground
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — a container
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. capital — money
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — a city
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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