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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. root — the cause
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cap — a lid
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. root — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — for digging
  19. content — the amount
  20. cap — a hat
  21. root — of a word
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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