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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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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: cold · prune · rest · tube · bank · bowl · nail · jam

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — the underground
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bank — of a river
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — a break
  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