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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 120 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: land · club · plane · bowl · mouse · tube · scale · hand

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. club — for golf
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. club — a group
  24. land — a country

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