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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: field · charge · rash · tube · bass · bear · clip · prune

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bass — low music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. field — farmland
  11. rash — hasty
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — a subject
  21. charge — in control
  22. bass — the fish
  23. charge — electricity
  24. clip — a video

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