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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: march · kid · tube · mate · bear · object · fan · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — to breed
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kid — child
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — a container
  15. band — a music group
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. object — a thing
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. object — to protest
  24. fan — a supporter

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