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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — the month
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wind — moving air
  9. roll — a list
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tube — the underground
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cue — a hint
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cue — a signal
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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