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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: tube · net · last · degree · bore · rush · wound · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — finally
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. scale — in music
  11. net — after costs
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — final
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — the underground
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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