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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: perch · nail · rash · sharp · fork · content · tube · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — hasty
  10. sharp — clever
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fork — in a road

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