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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · cold · scale · stock · plane · tube · fork · row

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. tube — the underground
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — a line
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — goods
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stock — shares

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