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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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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: rock · saw · capital · swing · club · squash · bear · tube

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — the underground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. club — a group
  20. rock — a stone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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