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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: track · tube · stem · scale · trunk · swing · spell · game

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stem — to come from
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — in music
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — the underground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. swing — in golf
  17. game — a match
  18. track — to keep track
  19. swing — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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