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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: track · arm · saw · object · capital · drill · wake · fine

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fine — high quality
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. object — an aim
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — a city
  15. wake — a trail
  16. capital — money
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. object — to protest
  20. drill — army training
  21. object — a thing
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. saw — the tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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