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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: field · scale · net · coach · last · shower · lie · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — size or range
  6. last — to go on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — farmland
  10. last — final
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — for sport
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — rain
  24. scale — for weighing

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