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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · capital · coach · kid · bank · last

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

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — finally
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — child
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — of a river
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. last — final

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