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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a music group
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bank — of a river
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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