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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · rock · stick · shower · field · scale · net · drill

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — a line
  16. drill — the tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. net — in sport
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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