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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · band · bowl · tube · pass · bass · vault · fan

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bass — low music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tube — a container

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