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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mug — a cup
  3. spring — the season
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — low music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bass — the fish
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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