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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 120 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: lean · wake · tube · capital · mouse · wave · field · bound

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — a subject
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — money
  12. field — farmland
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — a container
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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