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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: lean · pop · wake · face · rock · bound · capital · last

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — certain
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pop — music
  12. lean — to bend
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — finally
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — money
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. last — final
  22. lean — thin
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — part of the head

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