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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 120 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: face · current · capital · tube · fine · prune · bass · object

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — a thing
  9. current — electric
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — money
  13. tube — a container
  14. current — of water
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. object — to protest
  24. fine — all right

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