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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
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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: can · wake · mark · capital · toast · cue · pound · spring

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spring — of water
  7. mark — a trace
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. cue — a hint
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — the season

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