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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wave · march · tear · tube · chip · coach · land

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tear — to rip
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chip — to eat
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — the underground
  9. land — to come down
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. march — the month
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. march — music
  23. tube — a container
  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