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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 116 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: capital · mine · saw · content · plane · stem · bass · track

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — money
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bass — the fish
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — a path
  14. bass — low music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — happy
  23. capital — a city
  24. mine — belonging to me

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