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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. file — a document
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to click
  19. game — a match
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. file — a tool
  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