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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: hide · bass · wave · wind · stick · coach · capital · nail

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. capital — money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hide — to keep secret

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