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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: land · foot · pop · wind · scale · wake · capital · vault

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — to come down
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a city
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pop — music
  11. land — a country
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — ground
  14. capital — money
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pop — to visit

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