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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: spring · hide · chip · prune · fork · scale · wind · mark

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — in music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — in a road
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spring — the season
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mark — a grade
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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