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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: ground · scale · nail · shower · bass · field · bore · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bore — to drill
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — low music
  12. scale — in music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bore — to tire

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