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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
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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: tube · cap · bass · clip · pit · game · spring · pound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spring — of water
  5. bass — low music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — wild animals
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — a video
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. game — a match
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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