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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rash — a series
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tube — a container

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