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

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bass — low music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — a division
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. scale — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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