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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: prune · net · scale · kid · bulb · shower · cue · temple

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cue — a hint
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. scale — in music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kid — child

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