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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: ball · current · lean · hand · tube · date · roll · racket

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. current — electric
  7. date — the fruit
  8. roll — a list
  9. current — of water
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — help
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. current — happening now
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. date — on the calendar

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