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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: net · scale · fall · rush · rule · mouse · shower · rash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — rain
  3. fall — the season
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — in music
  24. net — in sport

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