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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
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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: rule · ground · clip · leaves · scale · tube · net · mate

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rule — a law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — for paper
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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