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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: tear · leaves · capital · last · bank · wave · rock · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. last — to go on
  5. capital — money
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — a stone
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — final

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