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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bass — low music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a ring
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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