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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — in music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. net — in sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — size or range
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — for weighing

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