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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: tube · date · rash · roll · bat · pass · mouse · band

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — hasty
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — a series
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pass — a permit
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pass — to spend time

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