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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 120 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: bass · scale · tube · band · cabinet · lean · prune · wake

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — a container
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bass — low music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a music group

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