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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: bulb · tube · tear · bowl · scale · coach · pitcher · saw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — size or range

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