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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: march · cell · wake · wave · spell · hide · capital · mouse

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. capital — money
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in biology
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hide — to keep secret

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