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

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. plane — a tool
  5. press — to push
  6. suit — to fit
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. capital — a city
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. band — a ring
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. press — a publisher
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — money

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