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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: tube · net · snap · land · bowl · trunk · squash · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — size or range
  6. land — to come down
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. snap — to click
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. scale — in music
  12. tube — a container
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. net — after costs
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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