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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 116 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 · rush · mouse · field · scale · squash · coach · shower

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. field — farmland
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — size or range
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — for sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tube — a container
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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