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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: bass · land · saw · rush · mouse · plane · tube · court

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — the tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. land — a country
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. court — of law
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. land — to come down
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tube — the underground
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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