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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 · race · band · spring · deal · snap · calf · dip

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — a coil
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spring — of water
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. race — the arms race
  23. band — a ring
  24. calf — a young animal

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