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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: tube · kid · board · stick · bass · band · cabinet · ground

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — a container
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — child
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — to get on
  12. ground — crushed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ground — a position
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — low music
  19. band — a music group
  20. ground — the earth
  21. band — a ring
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — the fish

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