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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 120 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: stand · tube · shower · bore · scale · saw · hand · band

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. scale — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. tube — a container
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — help
  18. shower — rain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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