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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: net · cell · leaves · scale · shower · rest · ground · clip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rest — a break
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — in sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — in music
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cell — in a prison

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