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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
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. drill — a practice
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — a box
  5. scale — size or range
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — army training
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. drill — the tool

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