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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: dip · wound · row · lie · bear · cap · capital · wave

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wound — an injury
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — money
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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