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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
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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 · tear · tube · fall · key · march · date · toast

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — in music
  10. fall — the season
  11. key — for a lock
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. march — the month
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. toast — bread
  22. march — music
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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