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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: tube · season · bowl · bank · track · scale · prune · squash

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bank — for money
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. track — a path
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — in sport
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. tube — a container
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — in music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — to roll

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