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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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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: date · tube · wound · wind · object · rest · kid · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rest — a break
  3. scale — in music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kid — to tease
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — to protest
  13. tube — a container
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — the underground
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — an aim
  24. scale — size or range

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