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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: bowl · band · tube · fine · fan · roll · rest · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tube — the underground
  8. roll — a cake
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. band — a ring
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. roll — a list
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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