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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: rock · bass · wake · capital · leaves · mine · chest · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. capital — a city
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — the fish
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chest — a box
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rock — music

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