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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · rush · straw · tube · chair · cap · track · bulb

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cap — a hat
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. band — a music group
  17. cap — a lid
  18. band — a ring
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tube — the underground
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — of ice

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