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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 116 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: scale · branch · mine · ground · rash · mug · tube · bound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — certain
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — hasty
  13. scale — in music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rash — a series
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — the earth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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