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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: shower · content · ground · season · fork · rush · mine · scale

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. scale — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — of the year
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — happy
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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