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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a trace
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — shares
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — goods
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a ring

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