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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · scale · club · bay · saw · band · tube · dip

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. band — a ring
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. scale — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. scale — size or range
  21. club — a group
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. club — for dancing

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