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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: saw · hand · bass · wave · bulb · rule · capital · fine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fine — all right
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rule — government
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — a law
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fine — high quality
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bass — low music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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