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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 116 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: clip · bass · game · band · staff · squash · tube · wake

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — the underground
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. clip — for paper
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a ring
  10. bass — the fish
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. band — a music group
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. squash — to crush
  16. tube — a container
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bass — low music
  22. wake — a trail
  23. clip — to cut
  24. squash — the sport

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