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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 124 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. capital — a city
  24. plane — a tool

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