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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: staff · bass · tube · band · cabinet · bound · cue · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tube — a container
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bound — certain
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a music group
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. staff — employees
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bass — the fish
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — a city

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