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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — a practice
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. can — to be able to
  22. drill — army training
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — part of the body

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