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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. firm — a company
  5. bank — for money
  6. firm — steady
  7. bat — the animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rest — a break
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — of a river
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — for money
  24. firm — decided

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