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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. bass — low music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — of water
  5. charge — in control
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — the fish
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — the season
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — clever
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. charge — electricity
  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