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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.

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: bark · capital · spring · chip · patient · cabinet · key · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. scale — size or range
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — to shout
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — for betting
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — of water
  23. key — for a lock
  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