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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: bass · mark · sharp · jam · tube · clip · racket · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — to cut
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — a container
  12. mark — a grade
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. clip — a video
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. tube — in a tire

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