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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
468
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 · scale · tube · shower · mine · racket · foot · rest

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rest — a break
  11. tube — a container
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — the underground
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — the bottom

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