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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 120 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: rash · spring · tube · racket · bowl · sharp · chip · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a ring
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chip — for betting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

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