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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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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: deal · wake · rule · drill · ball · wave · tear · capital

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. capital — money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — the tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rule — government
  16. tear — to rip
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rule — a law
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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