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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: scale · pitcher · season · spring · mark · chair · ruler · wound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — size or range
  14. season — in sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spring — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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