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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: mug · rash · last · chip · tube · bass · fan · straw

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — finally
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — low music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — final
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tube — a container
  24. last — to go on

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