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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: racket · band · track · tube · cabinet · bound · fall · season

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. tube — a container
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. track — a song
  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