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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: content · can · straw · tube · club · mine · fan · scale

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — the amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — size or range
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — happy
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — a container
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. scale — in music

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