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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 116 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: squash · cold · stock · pass · trunk · ruler · bass · tube

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — goods
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tube — a container
  17. squash — the sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pass — to spend time

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