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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — in music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spring — of water
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — a division
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a ring
  24. scale — size or range

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