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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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Word bank
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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tube — the underground
  17. band — a music group
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — a phone
  21. drill — a practice
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a line of people
  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