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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.

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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: rock · cue · mine · bass · lash · fall · temple · capital

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cue — a signal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — low music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. capital — a city

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