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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 116 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: mug · tube · face · mate · cold · race · bass · leaves

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mug — a face
  4. mate — to breed
  5. race — humankind
  6. tube — a container
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. race — a contest
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. face — to confront
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — part of the head
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tube — the underground
  24. leaves — to go away

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