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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: tear · fine · track · pass · band · club · tube · bank

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — a container
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a ring
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — a group
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. tear — to rip
  20. track — a song
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a music group
  23. bank — for money
  24. fine — a penalty

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