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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: mouse · tube · wake · can · scale · date · nail · mate

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. scale — size or range
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — on a finger

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