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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. roll — a list
  22. tube — a container
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bass — low music

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