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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
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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: club · straw · root · tube · bound · trunk · bass · squash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. root — the cause
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — certain
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — the underground
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — a group
  18. root — of a word
  19. tube — a container
  20. bass — the fish
  21. root — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. squash — the sport

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