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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — for money
  8. band — a ring
  9. root — of a word
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tube — a container
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bank — for money
  16. root — the cause
  17. bank — of a river
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a music group
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stock — goods

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