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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 · coach · deal · capital · tear · dip · file · scale

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — size or range
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. file — a line of people
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. capital — a city
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — money
  14. tube — a container
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. deal — to handle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — the underground
  24. scale — in music

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