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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — low music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. club — a group
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. can — to be able to
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — to shout

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