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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: bore · stand · deal · band · fork · tube · land · bat

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. land — to come down
  10. band — a ring
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — a container
  14. band — a music group
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stand — to bear
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bat — the animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. land — a country
  24. tube — the underground

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