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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: scale · tube · board · trunk · perch · ground · cap · bass

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. board — a committee
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — in music
  8. board — to get on
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — size or range

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