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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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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: club · kid · pass · firm · tube · fall · face · band

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. club — a group
  6. firm — decided
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. firm — steady
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for golf
  16. pass — a permit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — a container
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. face — to confront

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