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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 · kid · track · tube · toast · bat · jam · hide

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — a song
  3. toast — bread
  4. kid — to tease
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. track — a path
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. band — a music group
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tube — the underground

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