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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tear · mouse · kid · can · scale · mine · current · wound

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. current — happening now
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — a tin
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. scale — size or range

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