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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 · roll · tube · club · branch · tear · suit · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for dancing
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. suit — clothes
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — of the year
  14. suit — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — in sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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