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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 116 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 · tube · pitcher · fine · hand · row · pop · trunk

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fine — all right
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tube — a container
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — soda

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