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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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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: hide · wave · object · march · bass · lie · club · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bass — low music
  3. object — a thing
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for golf
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. object — to protest
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. object — an aim
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. club — a 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