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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: fan · tube · craft · cue · date · kid · bass · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cue — a hint
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tube — a container
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cue — a signal
  20. craft — boats
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pop — soda
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — child

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