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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: wind · file · capital · stand · rock · track · dip · mate

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. dip — to sink
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a song
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. file — a document
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a path
  21. stand — to bear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rock — music
  24. dip — a sauce

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