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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: pop · tear · tube · sharp · scale · drill · fork · mouse

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tube — the underground
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — a container
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. tube — in a tire

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