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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. tube — a container
  13. club — for golf
  14. rock — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rest — what's left

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