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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: band · nail · mine · scale · pitcher · chip · tube · track

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. band — a ring
  7. scale — size or range
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — a container
  17. track — to keep track
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — to eat

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