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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: ground · face · band · pop · toast · tube · bass · present

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — to confront
  4. toast — bread
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. present — a gift
  9. face — to point toward
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — low music
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — soda
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — a container
  23. band — a rubber band
  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