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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: present · pop · dip · march · band · tube · bowl · nail

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — the time now
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pop — to visit
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. present — there
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — the underground
  15. march — music
  16. pop — music
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — soda
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a ring

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