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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tube — a container
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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