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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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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: wake · mine · tube · craft · scale · chest · object · jam

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wake — a trail
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. craft — boats
  9. mine — for digging
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chest — a box
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. scale — in music
  24. object — an aim

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