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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: capital · current · bass · spring · sharp · staff · mouse · band

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — happening now
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — low music
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. current — electric
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. capital — a city
  15. staff — a stick
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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