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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: roll · tube · rock · march · fork · band · net · staff

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — a stone
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. net — after costs
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — a cake
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — the underground
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — in sport
  18. march — music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. march — the month
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a ring
  23. tube — a container
  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