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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: fan · tube · ground · date · scale · dip · rash · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — to paddle
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — a position
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. date — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tube — a container
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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