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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: tube · roll · firm · row · scale · degree · coach · clip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. firm — steady
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a line
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. scale — size or range
  16. firm — a company
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. clip — to cut
  20. degree — temperature
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. clip — for paper
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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