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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. content — the amount
  22. cell — in biology
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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