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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 116 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: ruler · net · tube · march · can · band · staff · bowl

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — a tin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a ring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. staff — a stick
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. band — a music group
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — the underground

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