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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: sharp · pound · bear · tube · bass · game · wave · dip

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bass — low music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tube — the underground
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — a container
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pound — a weight
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bass — the fish

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