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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 120 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: field · nail · board · band · tube · rule · content · fall

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rule — a law
  4. tube — a container
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — farmland
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — the amount
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fall — the season
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — government
  19. band — a ring
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — a committee
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — videos and posts

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