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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: capital · suit · staff · pitcher · stick · wake · bear · fork

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — money
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fork — in a road
  21. suit — to fit
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — a trail

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