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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — a container
  4. craft — boats
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bank — of a river
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — a cup
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kid — child

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