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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 · bank · date · rock · plane · nail · hand · march

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — help
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — of a river
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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