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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: clip · scale · shower · leaves · nail · degree · mark · suit

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. shower — to wash
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. scale — size or range
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. suit — in cards
  17. clip — for paper
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. shower — rain
  21. mark — a trace
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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