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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bass — low music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rock — a stone
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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