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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: staff · bear · band · pop · squash · file · tube · rock

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. squash — the sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pop — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — music
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. squash — to crush
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — to visit

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