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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 116 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 · cell · capital · wave · tube · cabinet · pass · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — a phone
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. track — a path
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — a song
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tube — a container
  22. capital — a city
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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