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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.

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: dip · bark · straw · bat · scale · tube · fall · bank

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bat — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — the season
  24. bank — for money

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