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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: tube · plane · cold · scale · fine · bay · stock · season

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — not warm
  5. season — in sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cold — an illness
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — in music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — of the year
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fine — all right

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