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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — of water
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — the underground
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — in sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  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