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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: bark · content · fall · wave · temple · capital · march · foot

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fall — the season
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. march — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. capital — a city
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. capital — money
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. content — happy

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