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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bass — low music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. capital — a city
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — the season
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. can — to be able to

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