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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · pound · scale · mate · hand · pass

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mate — to breed

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