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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: tube · mark · prune · kid · bass · ground · lean · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — thin
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — a container
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ground — a position
  24. prune — to trim

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