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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.

Words on the sheet
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: rash · charge · scale · chest · tube · spring · hand · roll

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rash — a series
  3. roll — a cake
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. charge — a price
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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