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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: spell · net · scale · key · spring · can · craft · chest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — a short time
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — to be able to
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spell — magic
  11. scale — in music
  12. net — after costs
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — of water
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chest — a box
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — letters

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