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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.

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: chair · capital · prune · hand · deal · bass · bound · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. deal — to handle
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. capital — a city
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bound — obliged
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — certain

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