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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · tube · firm · chest · leaves · band · saw · bark

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chest — a box
  3. firm — a company
  4. tube — a container
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. firm — decided
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. band — a ring
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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