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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: bank · prune · scale · mine · cap · tube · wound · row

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — the underground
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tube — a container
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — a hat

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