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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 · scale · dip · wake · rash · fall · root · can

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fall — the season
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — the cause
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. scale — in music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — the underground
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — of a word
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fall — to drop

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