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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: toast · bass · stand · bark · last · scale · tube · plane

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. plane — a tool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — to go on
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bark — of a tree

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