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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 120 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
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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: can · drill · capital · clip · stem · bass · pitch · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. capital — money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. capital — a city
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. can — to be able to
  24. drill — the tool

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