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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tube — a container
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a ring
  18. date — the fruit
  19. band — a music group
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. deal — a big deal

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