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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.

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: spring · prune · straw · fan · scale · patient

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spring — the season
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil

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