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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: mug · mine · bowl · bass · can · fan · capital · bark

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — money
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mug — a face
  18. can — a tin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fan — to cool the air

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