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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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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: bass · stick · bat · wound · land · tube · current · coach

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — the animal
  8. current — of water
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — happening now
  24. coach — a trainer

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