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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: spell · stock · straw · tube · wake · club · temple · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — shares
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — for golf
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spell — letters
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — goods
  22. club — a group
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spell — a short time

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