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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: wake · bowl · band · dip · drill · branch · file · tube

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — the tool
  3. file — a document
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. dip — to sink
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — a container
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. drill — army training
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — a sauce

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