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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: rock · tube · last · foot · season · band · fall · suit

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. suit — in cards
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — to go on
  7. foot — a measure
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rock — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. suit — clothes
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. season — of the year
  21. band — a music group
  22. tube — a container
  23. fall — the season
  24. season — in sport

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