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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: hand · stick · date · wave · capital · bowl · club · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — a group
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. club — for golf
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hand — help
  24. capital — a big letter

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