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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: band · chip · tube · board · track · bat · pound · racket

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chip — to eat
  8. track — a path
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. track — a song

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