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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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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — the season
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tube — a container
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — for sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bass — the fish
  9. field — a subject
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fine — all right
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a music group
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bass — low music
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — the underground

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