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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bank — of a river
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — a container
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spell — magic
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a music group
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tube — in a tire

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