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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 120 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: tube · foot · temple · stem · march · present · rush · band

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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 — a container
  2. march — the month
  3. present — there
  4. stem — to come from
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tube — the underground
  8. march — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. present — a gift
  14. band — a ring
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rush — hurry
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — of a plant
  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