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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 · tube · ball · row · suit · mouse · capital · patient

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. capital — a city
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tube — a container
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. suit — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. row — to paddle
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  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