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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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