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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: hand · board · staff · bass · mouse · land · capital · pass

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. hand — help
  6. board — to get on
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. land — ground
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. board — a committee
  17. bass — the fish
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — a permit
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hand — 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