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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.

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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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 — for weighing
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — of water
  22. scale — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  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