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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. suit — to fit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a ring
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. suit — in cards
  20. tube — a container
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — in a road
  23. suit — clothes
  24. drill — the tool

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