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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 120 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — a country
  12. squash — the sport
  13. land — ground
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — to come down
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. cap — a lid
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the fish

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