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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.

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: mark · content · capital · fall · wake · bound · chip · shower

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — certain
  8. content — happy
  9. chip — to eat
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. fall — to drop
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. capital — money
  17. content — the amount
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wake — a trail

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