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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: jam · club · bat · lean · stick · spell · band · tube

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. club — for golf
  10. lean — thin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. tube — a container
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. club — for dancing
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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