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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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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: tube · pound · mine · bay · fan · ball · rush · scale

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — in music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pound — a weight

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