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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — after costs
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — with your hand

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