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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · snap · squash · cabinet · temple · tube · straw · bass

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bass — low music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to click
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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