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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: rush · pound · capital · coach · hand · wake · chip · leaves

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. capital — a city
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — before a funeral

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