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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: dip · bass · tube · mug · rash · pop · ruler · toast

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — a series
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. toast — bread
  12. bass — low music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mug — to rob

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