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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 · pound · pitcher · scale · band · rash · fine · spell

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — for catching
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — all right
  12. net — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spell — magic
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — hasty

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