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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: cell · tube · wind · object · current · snap · scale · pit

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — in music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. object — an aim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — of water
  21. object — a thing
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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