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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: roll · scale · mate · tear · club · branch · tube · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. roll — a cake
  5. club — a group
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — a list
  11. scale — size or range
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. branch — a division
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ground — a position
  18. club — for golf
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ground — crushed
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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