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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: scale · toast · wake · drill · row · coach · saw · tube

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. drill — army training
  12. toast — bread
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. drill — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a line

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