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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: cue · lean · track · bass · capital · kid · spell · stand

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. lean — thin
  3. kid — child
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. bass — low music
  8. spell — letters
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — a short time
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stand — for spectators

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