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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. scale — in music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bank — for money
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — in sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  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