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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: scale · nail · hand · tube · mine · stock · prune · perch

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — shares
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — for digging
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hand — help
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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