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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.

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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: dip · spring · file · rash · bass · rush · bark · capital

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a document
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — a series
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. dip — to sink
  18. spring — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — the season
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rush — hurry

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