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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 120 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 · wound · net · tube · stem · temple · clip · rash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — for catching
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. clip — a video
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — a series
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — in sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. net — after costs

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