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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: firm · tube · chest · fork · rush · file · bowl · pound

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. firm — a company
  7. file — a document
  8. firm — decided
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. tube — a container
  18. file — a tool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fork — in a road

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