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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: pound · jam · root · rush · band · wax · coach · tube

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. tube — the underground
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. root — of a word
  12. pound — a weight
  13. tube — a container
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. root — of a plant
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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