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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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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: wound · stem · temple · club · cabinet · scale · tube · kid

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tube — a container
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stem — to come from
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — the underground
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. scale — in music
  24. club — for dancing

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