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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 116 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 · bass · kick · march · wave · clip · rest · object

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. clip — to cut
  3. march — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rest — what's left
  11. object — a thing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — a break
  15. march — the month
  16. object — to protest
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. object — an aim
  20. capital — a city
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kick — in football
  23. clip — a video
  24. kick — a thrill

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