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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: bank · bass · cue · swing · pound · capital · lean · pop

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — low music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cue — for pool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bank — for money
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pound — a weight
  22. capital — a city
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pound — for dogs

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