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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: wake · pound · swing · wind · capital · dip · lean · spell

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. capital — money
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lean — thin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pound — a weight
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a city
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wind — moving air

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