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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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. drill — a practice
  4. branch — a division
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. swing — music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — army training
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pop — to visit
  24. swing — in golf

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