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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: bass · season · wind · bank · scale · spell · capital · plane

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bank — of a river
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — in music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — of the year
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — low music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — money
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spell — letters

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