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

Word bank: vault · bay · tube · squash · pound · bass · ground · rest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. vault — a safe
  4. tube — a container
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — the fish
  11. squash — the sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ground — a position
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rest — a break
  22. pound — a weight
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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