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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 120 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: present · tube · patient · content · bass · straw · wound · vault

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bass — low music
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — a gift
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — the amount
  15. present — there
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. content — happy
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tube — the underground

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