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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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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: scale · kick · nail · field · wound · can · bound · shower

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — for sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — a subject
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. shower — to wash
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — in football
  24. nail — for a hammer

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