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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: wave · degree · scale · pound · ground · key · cabinet · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — in music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — a position
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spring — of water
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pound — a weight
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. scale — for weighing

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