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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 120 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
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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: bear · scale · degree · spell · saw · spring · stock · rash

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. degree — temperature
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — an amount
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — hasty
  9. degree — from a university
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. rash — a series
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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