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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: pound · root · mine · tube · scale · tear · arm · jam

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — in music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. root — the cause
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — the underground
  11. scale — size or range
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. root — of a word
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pound — a weight

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