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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 120 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 · bowl · fall · band · content · tube · foot · rock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — the amount
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. band — a music group
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rock — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ball — a dance

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