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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: arm · row · last · tube · suit · pound · capital · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. capital — a city
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. last — final
  7. capital — money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. last — to go on
  11. suit — to fit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. shower — rain
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — to wash
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. suit — clothes

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