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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — a container
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — ground
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bass — low music
  18. lean — thin
  19. band — a ring
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. band — a music group

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