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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: land · fine · ball · fan · mine · dip · band · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tube — the underground
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — ground
  9. ball — a great time
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. band — a ring
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a music group
  22. tube — a container
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — to sink

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