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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. squash — the sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ball — a great time
  7. firm — a company
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — the underground
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a dance
  24. scale — in music

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