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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: tube · staff · chest · capital · spell · ball · bound · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chest — a box
  5. tube — a container
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ball — a great time
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — magic
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. staff — employees

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