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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: track · game · mark · bank · deal · tube · file · scale

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — a path
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — to keep track
  11. game — wild animals
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — size or range
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bank — of a river
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mark — a trace

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