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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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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: tube · bowl · bass · hand · root · current · prune · straw

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — help
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. tube — a container
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. root — the cause
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hand — in cards
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bass — the fish
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. root — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — the fruit

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