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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: craft · pound · pop · capital · row · bass · pitcher · cap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pop — to visit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. capital — money
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pop — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a skill
  13. row — a line
  14. craft — boats
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pop — soda
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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