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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: pitcher · pop · land · net · scale · nail · band · current

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — happening now
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pop — to visit
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pop — music
  14. land — a country
  15. current — electric
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — in music
  22. land — ground
  23. net — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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