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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: band · drill · wake · can · chest · bass · fine · capital

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. band — a music group
  5. bass — low music
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. capital — money
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — army training
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — all right
  23. capital — a city
  24. chest — of your body

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