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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: can · snap · nail · band · date · sharp · ground · tube

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. tube — a container
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — crushed
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. can — a tin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. can — to be able to
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. band — a ring
  20. sharp — clever
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. can — a tin
  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