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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — money
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bass — low music
  8. present — the time now
  9. hand — help
  10. present — a gift
  11. root — the cause
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — a face
  16. present — there
  17. band — a ring
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hand — part of the body

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