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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: bass · cold · ball · current · coach · spell · tube · cell

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cell — a phone
  5. current — happening now
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tube — the underground
  8. current — of water
  9. spell — a short time
  10. current — electric
  11. cold — not warm
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. spell — magic
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — low music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tube — a container
  23. cold — an illness
  24. coach — a trainer

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