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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: swing · wake · bark · mug · drill · tube · capital · wave

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — a container
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. swing — to play on
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. swing — music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mug — to rob
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — a city
  24. tube — the underground

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