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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. bass — low music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. scale — in music
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — the fish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. tube — a container
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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