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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: track · cabinet · fall · rash · tube · pound · band · ruler

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — a series
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. fall — the season
  22. pound — a weight
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — a song

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