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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: toast · bass · tube · roll · race · band · bay · leaves

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — the fish
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. band — a music group
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. roll — a list
  17. tube — the underground
  18. race — a contest
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. band — a ring
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. race — the arms race

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