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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. last — final
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — low music
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. capital — a city
  16. kid — to tease
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. capital — money
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — for money
  24. wound — an injury

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