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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. band — a music group
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. swing — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tube — a container
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — a thrill
  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