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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: club · bass · trunk · wave · temple · tube · wind · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. present — there
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. club — for golf
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. club — a group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. club — for dancing
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a car

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