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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. swing — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the fish
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — a song
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. track — to keep track
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — to shout

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