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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · capital · staff · court · lie · present · bound · degree

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — there
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — a city
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — temperature
  16. court — of a king
  17. bound — certain
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — of law
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — for sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. capital — money

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