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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: cell · can · date · mate · tube · fine · bore · bass

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — low music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fine — all right
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tube — a container
  10. can — to be able to
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a friend
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bore — to drill
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. date — on the calendar

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