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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bank — of a river
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — a container
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bass — low music

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