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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: hand · tear · last · ball · firm · stock · scale · tube

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. firm — decided
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — final
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a great time
  13. firm — steady
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — to go on
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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