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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: dip · hand · capital · mate · wave · can · spring · object

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. object — to protest
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a partner
  12. hand — in cards
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — of water
  22. object — a thing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spring — a coil

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