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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
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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: land · tear · roll · net · stand · cue · scale · arm

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — to come down
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. roll — a cake
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — ground
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — in sport
  19. land — a country
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — in music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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