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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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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: object · last · capital · wake · net · hand · kick · wave

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. last — to go on
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — finally
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kick — in football
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — a thing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. object — to protest
  16. net — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hand — help

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