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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. swing — music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a music group
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — army training
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pit — in a race
  22. scale — in music
  23. tube — a container
  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