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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — army training
  5. bass — low music
  6. band — a music group
  7. drill — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — the cause
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pop — soda
  21. root — of a word
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. root — of a plant

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