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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — the season
  3. stock — goods
  4. band — a music group
  5. land — a country
  6. band — a ring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — a container
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — to drop
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for golf
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. club — a group
  23. land — ground
  24. suit — to fit

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