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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: toast · band · scale · tear · can · net · snap · drill

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. drill — army training
  5. net — for catching
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — bread
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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