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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tube — a container
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tube — the underground
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. craft — boats
  13. bass — low music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — a skill
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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