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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: cap · rush · pop · band · stock · tube · key · content

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a hat
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — to visit
  6. key — in music
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pop — soda
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. content — the amount
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pop — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rush — to hurry

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