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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 · toast · roll · bark · stick · nail · pitch · band

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — a container
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — to shout
  10. roll — a cake
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. toast — bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — in a tire

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