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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 124 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: capital · fan · lash · tube · stick · band · chest · bass

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — low music
  17. band — a ring
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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