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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · squash · tube · pit · chest · mouse · scale · spring

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — in music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spring — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — for weighing

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