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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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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: game · firm · straw · band · pass · row · capital · spring

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — the season
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — steady
  6. capital — money
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a line
  9. pass — a permit
  10. spring — a coil
  11. firm — a company
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. band — a music group
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — a city
  19. row — to paddle
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. firm — decided

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