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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cell — in biology
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spell — magic
  6. bank — for money
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — of a king
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a ring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bank — of a river
  17. court — for sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — a phone
  24. court — of law

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