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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: rash · branch · kid · wake · object · wound · bass · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — the underground
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rash — a series
  23. kid — child
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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