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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · pound · capital · leaves · bass · cabinet · row · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — rain
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. row — a line
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. firm — decided
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bass — the fish
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. row — a quarrel

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