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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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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: bay · ball · tube · capital · tear · rash · present · wind

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a city
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — a container
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — there
  10. tube — the underground
  11. present — the time now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a dance
  22. tear — from crying
  23. present — a gift
  24. bay — a horse colour

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