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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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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: toast · bass · jam · tear · racket · tube · fork · branch

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bass — low music
  5. branch — a division
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. toast — bread
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — a container
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fork — in a road
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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