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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: club · tube · plane · staff · bass · last · saw · cap

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. club — a group
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — final
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — a stick
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — for golf
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. tube — in a tire

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