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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: bass · rest · capital · fan · deal · band · season · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — the fish
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. track — a song
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — to keep track
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — a path
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — low music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. deal — an agreement

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