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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — for catching
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. tube — a container
  17. bank — of a river
  18. net — in sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bank — for money

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