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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · last · rash · fan · stock · bass · spell · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. last — final
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — low music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. last — to go on
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — hasty
  13. march — music
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — a container
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — the month
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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