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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: row · content · saw · bore · band · pass · rush · tube

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. band — a music group
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — a line
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — to succeed

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