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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: pit · bowl · tube · ground · scale · lash · bear · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. march — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ground — the earth
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — crushed
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bear — to put up with

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