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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 120 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
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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: can · scale · arm · cold · capital · wave · straw · wake

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wake — a trail
  9. capital — money
  10. scale — size or range
  11. can — a tin
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. can — to be able to
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cold — an illness
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cold — not warm
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. capital — a big letter

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