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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: leaves · capital · nail · wake · pitcher · tube · rule · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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