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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: hand · spring · scale · bear · key · shower · march · board

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. key — in music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — for a lock
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. hand — help
  18. shower — rain
  19. march — the month
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spring — of water
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — the season

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