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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — low music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. staff — a stick
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. staff — employees
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — happy
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. staff — employees
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. trunk — of a car

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