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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 · pitcher · pitch · bound · rash · last · tube · root

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — final
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bound — certain
  18. root — of a word
  19. last — to go on
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rash — a series

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