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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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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: snap · tube · bound · pitcher · bat · current · board · roll

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a cake
  3. snap — to click
  4. bound — certain
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — a container
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. board — a committee
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. board — to get on
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bound — obliged
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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