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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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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: band · rock · tube · rest · bowl · net · foot · wound

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. net — for catching
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a ring
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bowl — to roll

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