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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 116 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: wake · can · rest · tube · straw · bank · scale · last

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. scale — in music
  2. last — finally
  3. bank — for money
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. last — final
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — to go on
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rest — what's left
  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