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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rash — a series
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tube — a container
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

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