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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: kid · date · bay · scale · wave · mark · net · spring

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. date — the fruit
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — a grade
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — child
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — after costs
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. scale — in music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spring — a coil

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