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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 116 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 · bark · cabinet · last · wave · mug · object · wind

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — final
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. capital — money
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. object — to protest
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a face
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — a city
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. object — a thing
  21. last — to go on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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