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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · ball · tube · chest · bay · roll · rock · bark

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rock — music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chest — a box
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tube — the underground
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. roll — a list
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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