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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: firm · capital · cabinet · bass · board · cold · saw · lean

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lean — thin
  6. firm — a company
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. firm — steady
  13. board — a committee
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. capital — money
  19. firm — decided
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. board — to get on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cabinet — ministers

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