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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: capital · bore · wind · arm · toast · scale · wake · cabinet

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — in music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — size or range
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. capital — money
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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