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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: firm · capital · saw · bass · shower · march · wake · dip

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — to wash
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the fish
  16. firm — decided
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. capital — a city
  20. march — music
  21. capital — money
  22. bass — low music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — 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