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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · band · present · wind · last · object · tube · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — an aim
  3. present — there
  4. last — to go on
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — final
  7. band — a ring
  8. tube — the underground
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. object — a thing
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. last — finally
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — for catching
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — a gift
  24. wind — to turn a key

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