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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: shower · bank · tube · scale · lean · trunk · dip · squash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bank — for money
  5. squash — to crush
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — rain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to bend
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bank — of a river
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. trunk — of a car

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