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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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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: prune · spring · bay · bank · scale · racket · tear · content

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — of a river
  10. scale — in music
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — the season
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bank — for money
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. content — the amount
  17. tear — to rip
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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