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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: bear · shower · wake · capital · bay · board · track · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wake — a trail
  7. board — to get on
  8. capital — a city
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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