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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: staff · row · bass · capital · fall · drill · arm · jam

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — the season
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — army training
  21. staff — employees
  22. row — a line
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

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