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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 · face · bank · tube · hand · club · pop · arm

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — help
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — a container
  15. pop — music
  16. face — to confront
  17. pop — to visit
  18. club — a group
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — for dancing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bank — for money

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