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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: tube · mate · rush · content · fall · arm · bass · pop

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fall — the season
  9. pop — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pop — to visit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the instrument

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