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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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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 · wave · staff · capital · rule · tear · rash · deal

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bass — the fish
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rash — a series
  22. capital — a city
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rule — a law

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