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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 · squash · tear · branch · can · rash · suit · tube

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. can — a tin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — a container
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. tube — the underground
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. can — to be able to
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — a series
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tear — from crying
  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