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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: tube · capital · bass · wake · rash · stick · wound · saw

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. capital — money
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — a series
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — low music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. capital — a city
  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