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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. track — a path
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a song
  24. bass — low music

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