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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a ring
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — the fish
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. band — a music group
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bear — the animal

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