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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
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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 · band · ground · snap · staff · land · calf · file

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. land — a country
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a music group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — a position
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — crushed
  19. land — ground
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a ring
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — to come down
  24. tube — in a tire

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