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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: last · scale · mate · jam · spring · clip · mug · nail

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — of water
  10. mug — to rob
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — a face
  15. last — to go on
  16. clip — for paper
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mug — a cup
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — finally

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