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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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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: bear · saw · bore · capital · club · chip · wake · mouse

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. club — for golf
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bore — to tire
  22. club — a group
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. capital — a city

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