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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: wake · fork · tube · chest · bulb · ground · mug · bass

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — low music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a face
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — a container
  24. bulb — for light

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