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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: staff · present · drill · bass · scale · bear · mine · tube

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. staff — employees
  12. present — a gift
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bass — low music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — a container
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. drill — a practice

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