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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: capital · fall · can · ball · mate · tear · row · board

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. board — to get on
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. row — a line
  18. capital — a city
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — a committee
  24. mate — to breed

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