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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — magic
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — letters

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