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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: mate · wave · bark · capital · mine · object · suit · swing

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. suit — clothes
  6. capital — money
  7. object — to protest
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. swing — in golf
  17. object — an aim
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — a thing
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. swing — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — to breed

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