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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.

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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: tube · club · rest · deal · current · pound · file · hand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — electric
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. current — of water
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pound — a weight
  10. file — a line of people
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — happening now
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — a group
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — for dancing
  21. file — a document
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — help
  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