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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 · tube · fan · mine · wake · perch · mouse · rash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — low music
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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