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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: temple · race · saw · key · tube · wind · bass · capital

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — a contest
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — a container
  15. capital — money
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. race — humankind
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bass — the fish

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