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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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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: fall · last · wave · tube · capital · temple · kid · key

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tube — the underground
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — a container
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. key — in music
  17. last — to go on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — child

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