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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: capital · saw · bass · band · cap · present · arm · stem

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — a lid
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — money
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cap — a hat
  22. capital — a city
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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