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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: kid · saw · tube · snap · scale · club · toast · leaves

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. club — for dancing
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — a container
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. scale — size or range
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — a group
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — to tease

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