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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: rock · chest · can · scale · current · key · spring · fine

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — the season
  5. rock — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. chest — a box
  10. current — happening now
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — of water
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — size or range
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — in music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — of water
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — high quality
  24. key — in music

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