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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · capital · plane · bass · wave · wind · tube · spring

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bass — low music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — of water
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bass — the fish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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