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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: stick · kid · capital · fine · current · wake · tear · spell

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. current — of water
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — letters
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — happening now
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. kid — to tease
  20. capital — money
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fine — all right

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