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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.

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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: pound · tube · bat · scale · cabinet · land · shower · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — rain
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — a container
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pound — a weight

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