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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: scale · prune · shower · pitcher · net · last · ruler · current

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — of water
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — final
  19. net — after costs
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — for weighing

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