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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — a position
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. band — a ring
  24. tube — a container

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