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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: saw · roll · club · rash · hand · mug · tube · track

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mug — a face
  3. club — a group
  4. roll — a list
  5. tube — a container
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mug — to rob
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mug — a cup
  12. club — for golf
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. roll — a cake
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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