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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: net · shower · bound · temple · scale · squash · bear · chest

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — rain
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bound — certain

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