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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 120 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: wind · mark · dip · lean · bat · tube · fan · bass

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving air

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