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

Word bank: wind · tube · pound · racket · safe · bass · rash · deal

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — low music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tube — a container
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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