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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: coach · file · track · bass · band · capital · wave · net

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a path
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. file — a document
  20. capital — a city
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — money

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