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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: deal · tube · wind · racket · date · band · saw · roll

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. roll — a cake
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. roll — a list
  12. wind — moving air
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — to handle
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. band — a ring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. date — on the calendar

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