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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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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — a video
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — of water
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — goods
  24. stand — to bear

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