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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: bay · tube · drill · rush · current · temple · perch · bass

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — electric
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. current — of water
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tube — a container
  12. perch — the fish
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — army training
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. current — happening now

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