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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: cell · pitcher · scale · spring · mug · row · deal · land

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — ground
  18. row — a line
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in biology
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. land — to come down
  24. row — a quarrel

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