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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 · wake · lie · hide · mark · wind · bank · degree

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — of a river
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — a trace
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. degree — temperature

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