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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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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: kid · wave · pound · tube · band · scale · pass · rest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. tube — a container
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. band — a ring
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rest — what's left
  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