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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: cap · tube · scale · stand · club · pop · bat · rock

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pop — to visit
  11. club — for golf
  12. rock — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pop — soda
  22. club — a group
  23. pop — music
  24. tube — a container

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