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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a line
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — low music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tube — a container
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. vault — a safe
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. band — a ring
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the fish
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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