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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bass — the instrument

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