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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bank · capital · tube · board · mug · cold · temple · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — a container
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bank — of a river
  11. capital — a city
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — an illness
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bank — for money
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mug — a face
  19. board — to get on
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tube — the underground
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cold — not warm

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