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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — army training
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — of water

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