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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: season · bark · stand · band · rest · scale · plane · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — a container
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — in sport
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — of the year
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bark — to shout
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — size or range
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stand — to bear
  24. band — a ring

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