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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the fish
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. tube — a container
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cold — an illness
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fine — all right
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — for money
  23. roll — a list
  24. cap — a hat

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