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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: track · wound · march · rush · capital · staff · stick · leaves

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. capital — money
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. leaves — lets stay

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